If you’ve been reading the news for the past couple of years, then you might’ve gotten the idea that the general opinion of America isn’t exactly the best at the minute.
Take for instance the Israel-Palestine conflict which lit the spark for many Malaysians to boycott big name American brands such as Starbucks and KFC, forcing outlet closures nationwide.
There’s also, of course, the tariff-fueled antics of the USA’s current president, who I’m sure needs no introduction at this point.
But regardless of your stance on the matter, I think there’s one thing that we can all agree upon: The last people that should be caught in the crossfire are local businesses.
With that, here are six Malaysian businesses that just so happen to have American names.
1. Chicago Chicken City (CCC)
CCC is a business that we’ve covered before here at Vulcan Post, both as an article and video. With that, we actually have some personal insight on the meaning behind this local fast food chain’s name, straight from founder Adrian Chin himself.
“The name ‘Chicago Chicken City’ was chosen because it evokes a sense of familiarity and authenticity tied to the Western heritage of fried chicken,” said Adrian in our interview with him back in February.
Adding to that, he believes Chicago as a city embodies “energy,” “vibrancy,” and a “bustling urban lifestyle,” all qualities that he wants to exude with his brand.
That being said, CCC’s founder also noted, however, that their menu is rooted in local tastes and preferences.
2. The Manhattan Fish Market
Although I may be allergic to fish now, The Manhattan Fish Market holds a special place in my heart as it was a chain my grandpa would take me to a lot when I was younger.
But as it turns out, it wasn’t always called that.
The Manhattan Fish Market actually started off as a franchise of a New Zealand fish-and-chips eatery called The Fish Shop in 2002. When the New Zealand-based company withdrew their support from Malaysia, however, local outlets scrambled to reinvent themselves in order to entice more customers.
That’s when George and his other two co-founders, Dickson Low and Jeffrey Goh, made the decision to rebrand to The Manhattan Fish Market.
Inspiration came from what George noted in an interview with Options to be “the two biggest fish markets in the world, namely the Tsujiki Fish Market in Japan and Fulton Fish Market in Manhattan.
The rebrand worked, revenue was said to have doubled, and the business became a franchise of its own.
3. San Francisco Coffee
San Francisco Coffee’s name has a pretty straightforward origin. Its founder, Robert Boxwell, was from San Francisco.
According to an article by WargaBiz, Robert had come to Malaysia on a business trip for Petronas.
Noticing that the local coffee scene at the time was a little lacking, he decided to open the business in 1997.
San Francisco Coffee was then taken over by Abdul Rahim Zin amidst the 2008 global financial crisis.
4. Big Apple Donuts & Coffee
Perhaps not the most obvious example, but “the Big Apple” is actually a nickname for New York City.
Our Big Apple was founded in 2007 by Mike Chan, with its logo and concept being inspired by the “American way of life” where “people take great ideas in a free spirited fashion.”
They wanted to go big on everything from the artistry of their donuts to the flavours that they pack.
And what better way to reflect that than with the nickname of America’s largest city by population?
Do note however that this information comes from their old “About Us” page under “Logo Rationale.” This page was up from 2009 to at least 2023, but none of this is mentioned on their current one.
5. NY Steak Shack
Operating under parent company Revenue Valley alongside The Manhattan Fish Market and Tony Roma’s, NY Steak Shack was founded by two local entrepreneurs in 2014.
Why they named it after New York, then, is because much like us, the city is a multicultural hotspot home to a 37% foreign population with over 200 different languages being spoken.
This naturally lends itself to a vast array of food choices which NY Steak Shake seeks to emulate, bringing the Big Apple’s flavours to home soil.
Which explains why they do quite a bit more than just steaks.
6. US Pizza
Doesn’t get more in-your-face than this one.
Founded back in 1997, US Pizza was started by Donald Duncan, an American who had previously worked at a pizza restaurant in Missouri.
Having developed his own recipe for dough and sauce, Donald would open US Pizza’s first (and for the longest time only) outlet in Penang after five years of working at that establishment.
He then sold the business in 2015 to Jeremy Hiew, who expanded it into the 86-outlet-strong franchise that it is today.
As for the name? That is simply a reference to the country where US Pizza’s signature recipe and Donald himself originated from: the United States (US). It does not stand for the word “us,” contrary to a now retracted claim independently made by one of the company’s outlets.
Why do we use Western names?
In short, two local businesses have American-coded names because it calls back to their origins. The other four do so because they’ve been inspired by what the American people have built for themselves in their respective home states.
It’s not a matter of ideals, or promoting the US. Perhaps it does speak to the psychology some Malaysians have whereby “west is best,” but these days, shopping and supporting local has become more and more fashionable and encouraged.
So the next time you spot one of these brand in the wild, be sure to remember that they’re not as foreign as they sound. Rather, they’re proudly Malaysian businesses.
- Read other articles we’ve written about Malaysian startups here.
Featured Image Credit: The Manhattan Fish Market / US Pizza / KL Gateway Mall